Friction draft gear



Dec.'20, l1927. 1,653,098

.(3. J. HOLLAND FRICTION DRAFT GEAR Filed @11.15. 192e 2 'sheets-snm .1

Dec. 20, 1927.

c. J. HOLLAND FRIGTION DRAFT GEAR Filed Jam-13j 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATroRNEY Patented Dee. 2c, 1927.

insana@ lcrans JONATHAN iIoLIANjiigzor CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

rnIc'rIoN iiniierirj,

'Applicatienaieaiaiiaery 13,1'a`2ell y.-,seiiaiNo. 81,058.

The invention relates to 'friction draft gear for railway cars. Y The principal objectof the invention, geii' erally stated, is to provide'a draft gear em- 5 bodyinga `peculiar combination of V.longitudinally arranged springsiandipiessure applying means therefor responsive to relative movenient'of the followers underdraft or buff so as to obtain spring action longitudinally and `laterally together with friction within the springs tliemselv'es'orfbetween the convolutions thereof.V -1

YAnirnportant object of the invention .is to provide a friction draft gear embodying 4a volute spring or springs arranged for longitudinal V.compression and having .coacting therewith vmeans for leffecting lateral .com-

pression `to produce friction bet-Ween vthe convolutions of the springs during longif tudinal movementthereof.

A more specific object of'therinvention is l to i rovide a coinbinationof 4volute springs andj wedge lmeans .coacting therewith, vthe wedge. means being responsive to .relative ,movement `of lthe followers towardeach Y Aother and-actingto apply pressure .laterally uponthe lspi-'ings for not only compressingl the springs in a lateral direction simultane-l ously with longitudinal coinpressioneby,the followers but-also to forcetlie convolutions of the springs into engagement,t hereby proe viding large friction areas.

Another ob'ect of the invention is the provisionof adraft gear of this typein which,

:,5 owing itc the ,large contacting jareas Vprovided by the convolutions ofthe espringsfthe proper amount of friction will be obtainedwhile .the strains and ,wearV will be 4uniformlydistributed @instead ofy being concentrated aty '4o limited areasas Vis the oase ywithordinary estyles, .the structure consequently possessing great" durability andulongevity. A

further. ob 'e.ct `lof Vthe .invention ist-o ,provvide a. ,draftgear `embodying al` volute 4.5 -Sprillsfor ASprings directly engaged fbi-the A l.frontandrear Efollowers aii d .by laterally Varranged compression shoes, the shoes hav- .,ing roller andwedgeconnections with fthe followers for producing-thecoinbined spring l'and'frictioirefect 'desired'V 1 f y A stillfui'ther.object-,of the invention is to provide ae draft gear capable V,of :being lite ted ,within the standard s pringyfpoclret so .that -the structure maybe considered ,and

treated asia unit capableof replacing other.

" #arme of drain-sears, Witheet malnsanv "the arrangement ofy parts and the structural features ,tobe hereinafter more fully described and claimed, andv Iillustrated in thexaccom-v panying drawings `in which: u

Figure l is ag horizontal section Athrough changes the. constructionv of .the draft rig- ,thecenter sills 'of avrailwayfca'r.andthrough u thefdraft ygearin applied rposition, the view beingtakenon'the lirici-lof Figure 4,

`Figure .QVis aside elevation of thef'draft gear, the yoke and coupl'erlbutt being shown by dottedlines,

Figure 3 is avview similar .to'Figurel V.showingthe position of jtheparts under buff,

andi, i Iiigure 4 is across ,sectional view with the yoke and carry'eiron. shown bydotted lines.

Referring te the 'eirewinge in dei-mi, .the f 4nuniera'l :l vdesigzgnates "the center sills of .a

.railway :car ,and 2 and?) 'desigiiate, respec- .tively,"thegfront and bacllsto'ps whichare secured to the confronting-sidesof kthecenter sills.,'and which, together therewith, de-

Jfiiie ftheldrafu gear pocket.- .The yoke 4 and coupler butt, 5 of the draft lrigging are shown yloydotted ,lines only as -they form .no part of ,present invention. The usual fcarry- :irons A are.indicated at @aandV are-.likewise shown by .dotted lines, It' is intended that pocket be of the'usualsize conforming to wellknown standards,

vbetween which engaged aspring structure which, Ein thegpresent' instance, is shown as ,including two setszof :volute springs Qthough carrying outlthe present invention I Y provide front, and rear. followers 7 and 8 .thereshould `beno limitation as'to thenum- Jber.,employed or 4 the ,exact ohar'acterek Each Ysetiis disclosed as including .twosprings v10 land` 11,1 one within the'bther, that is to say ltlie'convolutions of oriebeing interposed bev,tween fthe successive. convolutions .of .the ,otheras clearly. indicated in Figure 4 though lbothbeiiig preferably coiled in the same diieCtioii. yObviously a single.. volute -spring .,.coi'ildbeused if` desired without departing 'fromthescope ofthe invention and kother gai'rangementsy ,are also conceivable. These lsets-jofjsprings arefari'anged .in opposite relation with theigiyprotruding central portions engaging directly against the froiit and -rear fellfiwerslas lilisfitel in Figure ,1f o Clearly these springs will act to provide cushioning means.

In conjunction with the springs I makev use of shoes or bearing members 12 arranged v at opposite sides of the springs and having their confronting faces preferably; annu-- larly recessed at 13 for receiving the thinned I and narrowed outer ends of lthe `springsl However, this last `mentioned detail is not stressed as modifications might be resorted to. It is intended that these shoes move laterally toward each other whenthe followers move relatively toward each other and to y accomplish this I have shown the followers 'as provided with inclined interior surfaces lfifengaged by rollers 15 in turn engaging upon inclined surfaces V16 at the endpor- Vtions of the shoes orbearing vmembers 12.

In v'actual practice theinclined surfaces may beA the bottoms of grooves ofpropersize to receive and permit v.movement of the'rollers though this is likewise aA mere 4structural `these shoulders engage before the springs themselves are forcedA entirely together.l At

the ends of the inclined surfaces 414. and 16 'are 'projections 19 and 20 which engage or are engaged bythe rollers 15 when the gear is in*V its maximum expanded condition, the parts being thereby maintained in assembled relation and prevented from separation when the gear is out of the car.

In they operationit will be clear that when buff or draft occurs, resulting in movement of one ofthe followers toward lthe other, or

relative movement of the followers, the sets of springs e are compressed longitudinally and will exerta cushioning efeot^At the same time, the rollers 15 engaged between V.and coacting'withthe inclined surfaces 14 and 16 will cause the shoes'or vbearing memberslZ toI be forced inwardly lortowardl each other, resulting in the bringing of lateral `pressure upon the Vsets -of springs, thisv `pressure not only compressing thev springs to` obtain .further cushioning but forcing the convolutions of the'springs into engagement so that as the longitudinal movement occurs friction is also produced. Clearly, the oomvloination of the longitudinal and lateral cushioning effect together with the. high degree of friction will` operate ytoy attain the desired result which Vis the elimination of undue shocks vand jars to the entire draft thereof.

rigging. When pressurevon the followers is relieved the-'springs will of coursefreturn to normal expanded position, forcing the shoes orvbearingmembers outwardly to their mitial positions. v c

VVhi'le vI ,have shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it should'be understoodthat the entire disclosure is merely'illustrative ask the right is reserved Vto make any changes and modifications as-may widen the' field of utility and increase the adaptability of the device or structure, provided such variations lconstitute no departure from the spirit'ofthe in vention or the scope of the claims hereunto appended. i Y m 7: '7 I-Iaving thus described the invention, I

1. In a railway cardraft gear, followers, y

a longitudinallyarranged spring located between the vfollowers* and compressible 'thereby, means located against the outerl sides of the springat opposite points, and coacting` means'on the first named means and 'the followers for moving saidv first named'means to apply lateralpressure upon the spring when longitudinal pressure is brought to bear; V t Y 'Y 2. In a railway cardraft gear, front and rear followers, a volute spring interposed therebetween in engagement therewith', and means arranged laterally ofthe spring and bearing inwardly against the outside thereof at opposite points and coacting with the followers to compress the springila'terally fupon'longitudinal compression thereof.

loo

v3. In a railway draft gear, front and rear followers, Va volute 'springv arranged longitudinally between the followers, laterally movable means located against the outside of the springat opposite points, `and means en' gaging said means and' thefollowers `for moving said means into compressing engagement with the spring upon longitudinal compression thereof to produce friction between the convolutions.'

- 4L. In ai railway draftvgear, front and rear followers, a volute spring longitudinally arranged and interposed therebetween, bearing lmeans, located 4laterally of the ,spring and bearing against theY outside thereof at opposite points, `and ymeans connected with the followers. for moving said bearing means to rcompress'the spring laterally and'produce longitudinal compression friction upon 5. Ina railway draft gear, front and rear followers, volute spring means interposed between the followers, andl arranged longitudinally, and meansl located against the outer, side of the spring at opposite points andl operatively engagedby the followers for compressing the spring laterally simultaneously with 'longitudinal compression thereof.

6. In a railway draft gear, front and rear followers, volute spring means longitudinally arranged between and engaging the followers, pressure applyingvmeans located laterally of the spring means and engaging against the outer side thereof at opposite points, and wedge connections between the followers and the pressure applying means for moving the latter laterally to compress the spring means and produce friction between the convolutions thereof upon longiengaging y.against the outer lsides thereof at opposite points, said bearing members 'having wedge connections with the followers for compressing the springs laterally upon longitudinal compression thereof. 1

8. In a. railway draft gear, front and rear followers, sets of `volute springs arranged therebetween in engagement therewith, bearing members arranged at opposite sides of the springs, and coacting wedging surfaces on the followers and bearingmembers for moving the latter toward each other to compress the springs laterallyand produce friction between the convolutions thereof upon longitudinal compression.

9. In a railway draft gear, front and rear followers, sets of volute springs arranged therebetween in engagement therewith, bearing members arranged at opposite sides of the springs, and coacting wedgingsurfaces on the-followers and bearing members for .moving the latterv toward each other to compress the springs laterally andvproduce friction between the convolutions thereof upon longitudinal compression, each setl of springs Vincludinga pair arranged with their sucsides of the springs, and coacting wedging surfaces on the followers and bearing mem-l bers for moving the latteritoward each other to compress'the springs laterally and` produce friction between the convolutions thereof upon longitudinal compression, each set of springs including a pair arranged with their successive 'convolutions interfitting, the [springs of eachpair beingco'iled in the same direction. 11. A- railway draft vgear comprisingin combinatiom'front and rear followers having inclined surfaces,. sets of volute springs arranged in coaxial relation between the followers, and bearing shoes located at opposite sides ofthe sets-of springsin engageeov ment therewith and .having inclined surfacesv coacting 'with theV firstV named inclined surfaces; whereby to be moved laterally for compressing the sets of springs upon movement f of the followers toward each other.

12. A railway draft gear comprising in combination, front and rear followers having inclined surfaces, sets of volute springs arranged in coaxiall relation between the foly lowers, `bearing shoes located at opposite.

sidesof the sets of springs in engagement therewith and having inclinedv surfaces coshoes being recessed to receive they Vends of'.`

the outer convolutionsy of the springs. y

followers, voppositely. arranged springs mounted in tandem linterposed between the. followers, V,and means for coml pressing the lspring means longitudinally Vand laterally at the same time.V y

'14. Invashock absorbing device, spacedl followers, a pair of oppositely wound Vvolute springs mountedin'end to end relation rinter- 'posedy between the followers, and means for compressing the spring ymeans longitudinally and .laterally during closure.

In testimony whereof I aliiX my signature.

Vovens.ioivAfrr'iAN rioL'LANii;

i 713. Ina shock absorbing device, spacedgv volute 

